[music] EXO

This is probably my favorite local band right now, and has been for a number of years. Singer and principal songwriter Scott Tallarida has impressed me ever since I saw him playing acid jazz in the back room at the Avalon. He, and the rest of the band, have a rhythmic, harmonic and melodic sophistication that is very rare in rock music. To this day, I can't really think of anyone that they sound like, except, at times, a very loud Beatles. One thing I like especially about these guys is the way they play with rhythmic figures throughout they're songs. Big hits come off of the downbeat, which gives the songs a much different impact than you're used to hearing. That off-kilter approach tends to apply to the overall structure of the songs as well, with big dynamic shifts and empty spaces punctuating the stellar guitar work of Tallarida and Jason Lee. Visit the band's official website here.